If you're a heavy reader and into technology, it's difficult to imagine that you haven't least browsed to Amazon's Kindle page to peruse their reading device at any time since its first release three years ago. I certainly know I have more than once over that period.

Recently I lost my day job. I say this not in an attempt to get sympathy (though if you happen to be hiring, drop me an email or something hehe), but as an excuse for my long absence from NV, which happens to coincide very closely to GETTING that day job.

So I now have both the time and energy to give NV some attention again!

It's been a long and painful year of working my ass off at an increasingly physical job, and I'm very glad to have some time to focus on the important things...like slacking off on here.

I really don't know what else to say about that now, but I suspect people in the comments will squeeze a bit more info out of me...which is cool. But the REAL reason I'm posting this, is because I need your help.

I am trying to come up with a good topic for a talk to do at Skepticamp Ottawa next month, and I'm having trouble thinking of something that wouldn't be completely cliche and done to death. HELP! Any ideas would be great, possibly even better would be some sort of over the internet, collaborative presentation (just because I'm sure no one else will be doing THAT lol), but that might be going a bit far...maybe.

Anyway, if you have an idea of a topic I could dig my skeptic teeth into, drop it in a comment, send me a message, etc etc, and I'd be insanely thankful.

Nice to see things around here haven't changed TOO much. Will in interesting to see who finds this after my being gone for so damn long.

***UPDATE***

I think I've decided on discussing the trouble with simply following popular trends in science despite a lack of solid reasons to do so, through the example of String Theory.

WASHINGTON - The "War on Christmas", has been brewing for a few years now, and it seems like President Obama has finally chosen sides and put our money where his mouth is.

Some back-story:

Todd Starnes of FOXNews.com wrote this week of this year's White House "Christmas" card, seemingly being devoid of...you know...any mention of Christmas. It apparently reads as follows.

"Season's Greetings." Inside, it reads: "May your family have a joyous holiday season and a new year blessed with hope and happiness."

He also mentions a bill being put forward by Rep. Henry Brown is trying to push through called, "H.Res.951 - Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the symbols and traditions of Christmas should be protected for use by those who celebrate Christmas."

The bill is essentially meaningless. Basically saying "People that celebrate Christmas should be able to celebrate Christmas"; However, it seems to have struck a chord with the President.

Current Developments:

It seems that Rep. Brown has prodded the President a bit too far with his passive-aggressive bill, and, if the internet can be trusted (and really, if the internet can't be trusted, what can be?), there are some serious changes/additions being rushed for approval for the next Federal Budget.

According to a wikileaks.org post that can be found here (UPDATE: The wikileaks.org article has been removed for "unknown reasons", typical...). The new budget includes no less then $500 billion dollars in new defense funds for the war on Christmas.

Given Obama's recent Nobel acceptance speech, I think it's fair to say that he fits in the "best defense is a good offense" category, and as such I can only imagine what sort of plan he has for this big chunk of "defense" money for a war on a holiday and abstract concept.

Needless to say, Republicans are practically foaming at the mouth, and FOX's Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck have both been quoted as being "downright steamed". They are both using their shows to propel a massive new "grass roots" movement to fight against the budget revisions. The first protest is planned for this coming Thursday in Cleavland, OH and, hoping to ride the "tea baggers" media storm, is being billed by O'Reilly and Beck as "The Cleavland Steamer '09".

The White House has declined comment other than to wish everyone a happy Sol Invictus.

.